Devil's Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Baraboo, Wisconsin
United States
Wisconsin Triathlon Series
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 38m 18s
Overall Rank = 315/747
Age Group = Novice
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 5, had some toast and a banana, and coffee, car was loaded up last night so I hopped in, turned on the ipod and went. "All Summer Long" is a great warm-up song!

Arrived about 10 minutes after registration opened up, got my bib, markings, etc. Went back to the car, grabbed my stuff and set up transition. One upside to being there early? I got probably the best spot on the rails for my wave.

Even though this was my first tri, I felt pretty comfortable since I had been up the day before to spend some time in OWS, and drove the bike course, which definitely paid off. Overall, I felt really good about the day.
Event warmup:

Jogged for 10 minutes or so, stretched, rode the bike for a minute or two to make sure all gears were working.

Got back to my transition area and started gearing up for the swim. Ran into Dave and Co., which was good, so I would have some company to the swim start. Butterflies kicked in, but that's good, right?
Swim
  • 08m 1s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

Needed to be more aggresive on this one. I stationed myself near the outside and a few rows back. I ended up fighting alot of people through to the first buoy. At that point I found myself near the front of the pack and creating space. 8 minutes is a respectable time for my first attempt, and I am VERY happy with my performance and how I felt coming out of the water.

Sure, had I been more aggresive, I probably could have made up time, but I made sure that my focus was on soaking in every minute, not my time. Well, that, and finishing, too! :)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really, I guess. Be a bit more aggresive in the next one, but I felt my form was great, my breathing was very much under control, sighting was dead on. Almost TOO good for my first tri OWS!!
Transition 1
  • 05m 7s
Comments:

I REALLY wanted to make sure I took my time with this one. I had to put in my hearing aids at this stage and wanted to be sure to get my ears nice and dry. I also decided to put on arm warmers, which ended up being a really good call. I felt great coming out of the swim, so I was able to jog, not walk, down the path into transition.

The bummer was that my chain dropped before I even got on the bike, so I had to spend another minute putting that back on. Oh well. HTFU and keep going, right? :)

I was really pleased with how I kept my wits about me and never panicked or started feeling rushed. I was 100% aware of my surroundings and really losing myself in the moment. Too cool.

Got on the bike and went, looking forward to the thigh-burning, face-melting, soul-stealing hills that awaited...
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I felt great about how it went, and this time will drop as I get more experience and come up with ways to get my aids in quicker.
Bike
  • 59m 19s
  • 15 miles
  • 15.17 mile/hr
Comments:

This is where my race went south. Somehow, whether I bumped it, or a competitor bumped it, my front deraileur got bent. I was currently in my middle chainring, and that was my only option. I could'nt go down to granny gear for the uphills, or up to the big ring for the down hills.

This was a pivotal moment as I discovered this less than 50 yds up the first hill on DL. What do I do? I knew that my training was done right when I spent less than 2 seconds pondering the question. I HTFU'd and kept going. I told myself to embrace the challenge, and not worry about things I can't control, but focus on the one thing I CAN control, which is my attitude. Thank you Mike Reilly for that bit of wisdom.

My legs were cursing me big time, but I guess I didn't care....

Course was the normal insane hills that everyone talks about. The roads weren't in too bad a condition, some spots required a little extra attention, but nothing crazy except for a patch of packed down dirt, which was easy to coast over, and it was well marked.

Thanks to all the volunteers who hung out in the crummy weather to help us out!

I loved the re-entry into the park! Fast, with the rising crescendo of fans cheering on as you got closer. Goosebumps, man, goosebumps.

Well marked transition entry, had me thanking God that I made it this far.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing here, either. Ride fixie so I don't have to worry about a front derailleur? :)
Transition 2
  • 02m 3s
Comments:

This was pretty fast, I really made up alot of ground here. Again, really happy with how I kept my mind clear and focused on the task at hand. Bike racked, shoes off, socks on, shoes on, banana, hat, go. Sweet.
What would you do differently?:

Nada.
Run
  • 23m 49s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

Are you kidding me? This was the best part! Dave caught up with me after I smoked him in transition. :) We decided to finish the run leg together and enjoy the moment. Great idea, I think. We chatted a bit about our first tri experience, future training and competition plans, and how cool everyone is.

Jay joined up with us during the last 3/4 mile, said something to the effect of " I've been chasing your ass all day, now I'm going to ride you in to the finish!" Awesome, it felt so cool to come down the chute running next to 2 other first timers, all with huge smiles on our face and soaking it in. My eyes even welled up a bit. Not sure why...

Awesome, awesome, awesome... It's all I can say.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, overall, I was very surprised at how relatively smooth the race as a whole went, nothing major. I mean sure, the derailleur didn't work, but at least my fork didn't break or anything like that, right?
Post race
Warm down:

Saw my folks and posed for a couple of pictures, went and grabbed my change of clothes and got dry. Got a sub from Po Boys and a few powerbars, drank a ton of water. Watched the finish line for a while, then loaded up the car and headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Dysfunctional front derailleur. Swim was great, and the run was great. The bike was a grind out session against "them thar hills."

Event comments:

Well organized, superb volunteers. Would recommed this as a first tri to anyone! But get your hill practice in for sure....




Last updated: 2008-09-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:01 | 440 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/747
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless wetsuit
Course: Started on "right" side of North Shore, towards the train track bluffs. Straight out 20 yds, left turn, 400 yds along shoreline, then 20 yds back in bear the large shelter.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:07
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:59:19 | 15 miles | 15.17 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/747
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: Hills. Period.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Bad Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:03
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:23:49 | 03 miles | 07m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/747
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back through park campground.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4